Teaching Schindler’s List: Fact, Fiction and Film in Remembering the Holocaust Student Edition Based on a book, Holocaust as Horror by: Caroline (Kay) Picart, Florida State David Frank, U. of Oregon A short article is forthcoming with Film and History.

Schindler’s List’s “Realism” How “real” does Schindler’s List seem? Why does it “look” so real?

Answers: 1._______________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________. 2._______________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________.

The Bilderverbot Can you think of any objections on moral or aesthetic grounds to how Schindler’s List visualized the Holocaust?

Answer: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________.

Key Question Who is the “monster” in Schindler’s List? What makes this character monstrous?

Answers: Character:_______________________ Why is this character monstrous? ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ _______________________________.

Two Key Scenes: Describe them briefly, both in terms of content and form. The shower scene at Auschwitz The seduction- turned-torture of Helen Hirsch by Amon Goeth

The Shower Scene in SL Whose gaze do we share? How do we know this?

Answer: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________.

Schindler’s List and Psycho Can you see any similarities between the shower scene in Psycho and the one in Schindler’s List?

Answers: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________.

Key Question Which two stereotypes are illustrated particularly in the scene where Goeth hovers around Helen Hirsch?

Answer: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________.

Law and Crime How are law and crime depicted in Schindler’s List? What cinematic conventions are used to code the “good German” (Schindler) vs. the “bad German” (Goeth)?

Answers: 1._______________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________. 2._______________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________.

Discussion Questions Compare Schindler’s List’s holocaust narrative with Shoah. Do the comparisons both in terms of content and film form. Choose one scene from each film to back up your comparison. Comment on how Spielberg and Kingsley interact re. representing the Holocaust in Survivors of the Holocaust (Steven Spielberg and Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation).

Answers: 1._______________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________. 2._______________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________.